The Univ. of California Friday announced that baseball and men’s gymnastics “will be eliminated” after the current school year, while rugby, women’s lacrosse and women’s gymnastics “will be preserved,” according to John Crumpacker of the S.F. CHRONICLE. All five sports last September were slated for elimination as part of a “cost-cutting move.” School officials indicated that “fundraising on behalf of the three sports to be preserved was the determining factor,” while efforts to raise funds for baseball and men’s gymnastics “were not up to established criteria.” A total of $12-13M was raised as part of the “Save Cal Sports” initiative. Title IX “was not initially cited by Cal on Friday as a factor in the decision,” but the school “will remain in compliance with Title IX” by not cutting any women’s sports (SFGATE.com, 2/11). The school in a release said that “new philanthropic commitments will support the teams’ expenses while plans are implemented for long-term financial self-sufficiency” (Univ. of California). Cal was slated to announce the fates of the five sports Thursday, but the CHRONICLE’s Crumpacker reported prior to Friday’s decision that the delay was "seen by some Cal supporters as a positive development for the future of the impacted sports." While Cal baseball "has received support from the Giants, the rugby program's supporters have driven the fundraising, generating nearly $6 million" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/11).
